units

PHH3072

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

18 September 2017 22 December 2024
Monash University

Undergraduate - Unit

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

LevelUndergraduate
FacultyFaculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational UnitSouth Africa School of Health Sciences
OfferedSouth Africa Second semester 2015 (Day)
Coordinator(s)Dr Samson Muyanga

Synopsis

In this unit, students will examine the political foundations of health promotion and public health policies in South Africa or any other country, different types of health policy, policy development processes and theories that underpin them. Interest groups and the challenges they pose to decision-making processes will be discussed. The social and political impacts of health policy will be explored, as well as the jurisdictional responsibilities held by different levels of government for health policies. Concepts of power, authority and influence will be discussed. Students will learn critical skills for policy analysis in the context of case studies of effective advocacy that have influenced policy change in South Africa or any other country.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. develop an understanding of health policy as a key dynamic element of the determinants of health, with effects on the health of populations and societies
  2. identify the structures, systems and institutions that contribute to the South African or any country's health policy environment with emphasis on health promotion and public health policy
  3. critically engage with a range of public policy issues and policy processes
  4. discuss types of health policy within the context of jurisdictions which hold responsibility for them
  5. explain the role of government and their agencies, NGOs and the community in the development and implementation of health policy
  6. distinguish types of power and how they are used by interest groups and individuals in policy development
  7. use policy analysis skills to critique existing policy using a case study approach.

Assessment

Group presentation (20 minutes) (25%)
Individual case study essay (1,500 words) (25%)
Research essay (2,500 words) (50%) (Hurdle)

Hurdle: 80% attendance at tutorials.

Workload requirements

3 contact hours per week Plus 9 hours private study per week.

See also Unit timetable information

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Samson Muyanga

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Health science

Prerequisites

HSC1052 or PHH1052.

Prohibitions

HSC3072.